--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Pride is handsome, economical; pride…" description: "\"Pride is handsome, economical; pride eradicates so many vices, letting none subsist but itself, that it seems as if it were a great gain to exchange va..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/951/ralph-waldo-emerson-6_gains_pride-is-handsome-economical-pride-eradi_2586879.jpg" --- # Pride is handsome, economical; pride eradicates so many… ![“Pride is handsome, economical; pride eradicates so many vices, letting none subsist but itself, that it seems as if it were a great gain to exchange vanity for pride.” quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/951/ralph-waldo-emerson-6_gains_pride-is-handsome-economical-pride-eradi_2586879.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/951/ralph-waldo-emerson-6_gains_pride-is-handsome-economical-pride-eradi_2586879.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/951/ralph-waldo-emerson-6_gains_pride-is-handsome-economical-pride-eradi_2586879.jpg) > “Pride is handsome, economical; pride eradicates so many vices, letting none subsist but itself, that it seems as if it were a great gain to exchange vanity for pride.” [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Pride, when cultivated, can replace vanity and eliminate many vices, becoming a virtuous gain. **In simple terms:** Pride can be a positive, virtue‑building force. Key Takeaway Cultivate healthy pride. Themes pride virtue self‑esteem personal growth ethics Mood thoughtful cautionary Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - career advancement - public speaking - personal setbacks Key Concepts Moral philosophy character development self‑improvement Questions to Reflect On - When does pride become harmful? - How can you balance pride with humility? A Different Perspective Excessive pride may become arrogance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Economical Pride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/economical-pride-1827139/) [Gains](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gains/) [Handsome](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/handsome/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Pride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pride/) [Pride Eradicates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pride-eradicates-1827142/) [Pride Handsome](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pride-handsome-1827141/) [Seems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seems/) [Vanity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vanity/) [Vanity Pride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vanity-pride-1827140/) [Vices](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vices/) ## Related quotes > [“The virtues are economists, but some of the vices are also...Pride is handsome, economical; pride eradicates so many vices, letting none subsist but itself,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-virtues-are-economists-but-some-of-the-vices-are-also-pride-is/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Pride eradicates all vices but itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/pride-eradicates-all-vices-but-itself/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [I would much rather fight pride than vanity, because pride has a stand-up way of fighting. You know where it is. It throws its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/i-would-much-rather-fight-pride-than-vanity-because-pride-has-a-stand/) [Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/) > [Pride... is a very common failing, I believe. By all that I have ever read, I am convinced that it is very common indeed;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/pride-is-a-very-common-failing-i-believe-by-all-that-i-have-ever-read-2/) [Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/) > [What demon is our god? What name subsumes That act external to our sleeping selves? Not pleasure - it is much too broad and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-v-cunningham/what-demon-is-our-god-what-name-subsumes-that-act-external-to-our/) [J. V. Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-v-cunningham/) > [Vanity is a relative of Pride; Vanity is talkative, pride is silent. When Vanity and Pride get together, they could make monstrosities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samael-aun-weor/vanity-is-a-relative-of-pride-vanity-is-talkative-pride-is-silent/) [Samael Aun Weor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samael-aun-weor/) > [Nobody sets out to make a bad film, but so many of those compromises are made and often they're made because of vanity, pride…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-mccallum/nobody-sets-out-to-make-a-bad-film-but-so-many-of-those-compromises/) [Rick McCallum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-mccallum/) > [Vanity and pride are different things, though the words are often used synonymously. A person may be proud without being vain. Pride relates more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/vanity-and-pride-are-different-things-though-the-words-are-often-used/) [Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/) > [“To be free of vanity or pride, these perhaps the gravest of all indulgences.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefan-zweig/to-be-free-of-vanity-or-pride-these-perhaps-the-gravest-of-all/) [Stefan Zweig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefan-zweig/) > [“Pride," observed Mary, who piqued herself upon the solidity of her reflections, "is a very common failing, I believe. By all that I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/pride-observed-mary-who-piqued-herself-upon-the-solidity-of-her-2/) [Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/) > [The truest characters of ignorance are vanity and pride and arrogance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-butler/the-truest-characters-of-ignorance-are-vanity-and-pride-and-arrogance/) [Samuel Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-butler/) > [Love of power more frequently originates in vanity than pride (two qualities, by the way, which are often confounded) and is, consequently, yet more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-wright/love-of-power-more-frequently-originates-in-vanity-than-pride-two/) [Frances Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-wright/) > [“I did not hesitate to tell them that I not only had the authority of facts, but that it was my conviction that our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-sionil-jos/i-did-not-hesitate-to-tell-them-that-i-not-only-had-the-authority-of/) [F. 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A clear skin, a peach-bloom complexion, and good teeth are found all over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-old-men-are-as-red-as-roses-and-still-handsome-a-clear-skin-a/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) ## More by Ralph Waldo Emerson > [The history of mankind interests us only as it exhibits a steady gain of truth and right, in the incessant conflict which it records…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-history-of-mankind-interests-us-only-as-it-exhibits-a-steady-gain/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [If we will not interfere with our thought, but will act entirely, or see how the thing stands in God, we know the particular…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-we-will-not-interfere-with-our-thought-but-will-act-entirely-or/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [If there is any period one would desire to be born in, is it not the age of Revolution; when the old and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-there-is-any-period-one-would-desire-to-be-born-in-is-it-not-the/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [A man cannot speak but he judges himself. 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When the mind is braced by labor and invention, the page of whatever book…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/there-is-then-creative-reading-as-well-as-creative-writing-when-the/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [The order of things consents to virtue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-order-of-things-consents-to-virtue/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Life only avails, not the having lived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/life-only-avails-not-the-having-lived/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Another success is the post-office, with its educating energy augmented by cheapness and guarded by a certain religious sentimentin mankind; so that the power…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/another-success-is-the-post-office-with-its-educating-energy/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [A child reminds us that playtime is an essential part of our daily routine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/a-child-reminds-us-that-playtime-is-an-essential-part-of-our-daily/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [No man can be criticised but by a greater than he. 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